Hidden River Pale Ale
Cold Spring Brewing Co.

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From:
Cold Spring Brewing Co.
 
Minnesota, United States
Style:
American Pale Ale
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
63
Avg:
2.09 | pDev: 29.19%
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
22
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Feb 26, 2014
Added:
Aug 15, 2002
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
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Ratings by Bunnyhop:
Photo of Bunnyhop
Reviewed by Bunnyhop from Georgia

1.36/5  rDev -34.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1
A clear, golden yellow Pale Ale with a bubbly, creamy white head. The smell is sweet and hoppy. The taste is slightly sweet and spicy, but there is a strong paper-like taste and a slight soapiness to the finish. I would guess that this is corn based. The body is thin in my mouth. Overall, this is one of the worst beers I've ever had, and the finish reminded me of cardboard.

Not that price is a direct determinant of a beer's quality, but this beer was very inexpensive ($3.69 a six pack) and tasted it too. The clerk at Albertson's (grocery store with separate liquor store next door) told me that this was brewed (obviously contract brewed) exclusively for Albertson's. I won't even pawn off my remaining bottles of this to my Macro-beer-drinking friends.

(source: Albertson's Grocery; Ocala, FL)
Feb 23, 2003
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 2 by harpus from Alabama

Feb 26, 2014
 
Rated: 2.25 by Noelito76 from New York

Jan 25, 2014
Photo of mjurney
Reviewed by mjurney from Texas

1.23/5  rDev -41.1%
look: 2 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1
Appearance:
Pale golden straw color, clear. Some carbonation. A little head, no lacing.

Smell:
Adjunct, grainy and some bitter hops.

Taste/Mouthfeel:
Very thin and watery at first. Sweet grainy, adjunct, alcohol, and some bitter hops. Rough finish with harsh dry bitter aftertaste. Over carbonated.

Drinkability:
Undrinkable. Aftertaste is just so bad I couldn't drink this beer at all!!
Aug 08, 2010
Photo of colts9016
Reviewed by colts9016 from Idaho

1.84/5  rDev -12%
look: 1 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5
This beer is at least four years old. It is a long story how I got and I am blessed, I think, I have the bottle. Poured into a pint glass at 35 degrees.

Appearance: A one finger foamy creamy white head that has very poor retention. The color of the beer is a dark straw color with brown hues. The clarity of the beer is clear with some haziness. There is some carbonation in the beer, I hope that is a good sign.

Nose: A light malty aroma with some toasty and yeasty notes. There is a light floral aroma that has notes of grapefruit, and floral bouquet.

Taste: A over ripe malt flavor with toasty notes, and floral bouquet.

The mouth feel is carbonated, slightly astringent, and dry.

Overall: The body of the beer is light and the finish is light. Surprisingly this beer has held up some. It is still very terrible the malt runs into the floral, and it is just a train wreck. I am going to make this beer a drain pour.
May 12, 2010
Photo of IntriqKen
Reviewed by IntriqKen from California

1.55/5  rDev -25.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1
Pours a too-dark golden yellow with a scant half finger head that melts away way too fast.
Aroma is surprisingly sweet for a pale ale...almost like a honey ber.
Taste seems to have some underlying of corn, to my palette. Initially sweet then sharply bitter but not fresh hop bitterness in the least.
Mouthfeel is too creamy and sticky for a Pale Ale.
Not a terribly pleasant experience.
Feb 03, 2007
Photo of uabigdaz
Reviewed by uabigdaz from Arizona

1.94/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1
Pours a dark yellow, slightly orange color. Head hit a maximum of only about 1 finger depth and quickly dissipated to a very thin layer of bubbles. The most impressive part of the appearance of this beer is that bubbles continue to rise. Smells better than it tastes. There seems to be some sort of honey smell similar to a honey brew, which overpowers the smell. Taste is quite bitter, with a hint of that honey smell, although it does not overpower the taste the way it does the smell. Mouthfeel is thin, watery, nothing much to discuss there. This is an okay beer, but not on the top of my list. At $4.99 for 6 bottles I will likely try the others by this brewer, I mean, it's not the worst beer I've had, just the worst microbrew I've had.
Jun 05, 2006
Photo of jettjon
Reviewed by jettjon from Florida

3.08/5  rDev +47.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Highs: None
Lows: Borderline beer

Pours golden orange with no bubbles. Head of fluffy white foam, thick and lingering, leaving some decent lacing. Nose of malt and scant hops. Taste is sweet—not ale-like at all—borderline cloying, but not quite there. The sweetness fades to a light bitterness and a hint of hops, saving this beer from complete undrinkability. However, it finishes that semi-cloying malty sweet. Mouth is watery, very lightly carbonating and refreshing—pretty good. Average drinkability—your typical lawn mowing beer.

Overall: A hops teaser in the middle of a watery malt beverage. Not recommended.
May 03, 2006
Photo of DogFood11
Reviewed by DogFood11 from California

1.15/5  rDev -45%
look: 1 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.5
Poured into a pilsner glass it dies quickly, fizzy white head is never to be seen again shortly after the initial flair up, no lacing.

Pretty light smell and taste, very macro lager type personality. Some sweet corn, grain and little else. I can't detect much of a hop profile or much of anything for that matter.

Notes: Not much of interest here. With all the great pale's out on the market today this one "Pales" in comparison... moving on.
Apr 19, 2006
Photo of ybnorml
Reviewed by ybnorml from Rhode Island

2.65/5  rDev +26.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
A clean yellow beer. Has a small white head that dissappers way to quickly and no lace. There is a very light malt aroma which is over powered by a strong corn character. The malt and corn notes hinted at in the aroma are even lighter in the taste. Mouthfeel is thin . About the only good ting I could say about this is that it doesn't taste bad (it just doesn't taste).
Jan 07, 2006
Photo of shirfan
Reviewed by shirfan from New York

2.25/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
Pale gold with a thin, rapidly vanishing head. Faint aroma of soft malt and cooked vegetables.

Taste: beer water. Exceedingly thin, almost the consistency of Corona. This is probably a good thing, as the flavors I can detect are cooked veggies, DMS, and green apples.

Drinkable as a thirst-quencher but not as a beer. Impulse buy of cheap unresearched beer at Albertson's for the loss.
Oct 08, 2005
Photo of HardTarget
Reviewed by HardTarget from Texas

2.5/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
Ah, another Gluek product, the progenitors of Malt Liquor.
Aroma: Like aroma with a small whiff of corn that could be dimethyl sulfide (DMS). Not so much to be unpleasant, just noted.
Appearance: A full yellow glass with a white cover. Looks like yellow beer.
Flavor: Hops seem rather subtle for style with some pine flavor. Also had a slight artificial banana flavor that was distracting and a slightly stale finish (no date on bottle, so brewer takes the hit).
Mouthfeel: Light-medium body with a thin mouth coat. Fair carbonation.
Overall Impression: Not bad. Overall I’d say a little too light in body and hops. With so many APAs out there it’s hard to stand out. The few minor flaws really drug my scores down. Thanks to Pegasus for the sample.
Mar 06, 2005
Photo of alexgash
Reviewed by alexgash from Connecticut

1.3/5  rDev -37.8%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1
“Aged in cold cellars,” touts this cheap-looking bottle. It also touts being brewed by the Old Fort Brewing Co., Cold Spring, MN, which we all know means Gluek is behind this and that it will most likely taste like shit. Sorry. I really want to like stuff that comes out of Cold Spring, because it’s a nice town and I went to college near there (St. John’s University), but they aren’t helping me much. Anyways, here’s to hoping that someday Cold Spring will brew good, drinkable beer…
As far as the Hidden River Pale Ale goes, I had low expectations upon opening. Unsheathed and glassed, HRPA shows a clear, golden-yellow body with a minor, guazey, off-white head. Very minimal aromatics. Light apple malt, with kinda-citrusy hops. Tastes like blecchh. Very soapy. A touch of sweetness, then more soap water. Apple core flavors in there, accompanied by minimalist recycled (apparently) *hops*. Finish is apple dish soap. Good thing this was a BYOB party leftover, otherwise I’d be cursing myself for buying this! Drain pour.
Oct 23, 2004
Photo of Gagnonsux
Reviewed by Gagnonsux from Texas

2.18/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5
My hundredth beer to review at BA, wish I had a better beer for the occaision. On with the review. Appearance is the color of apple juice, smallish head with quickly dissipates. Smell is somewhat surprisingly similiar to a typical macro aroma. Maybe adjuncts were used? Taste is too sweet for the style and is similiar in flavor to their Amber Ale, except it doesn't cloy nearly as much. There is some evidence of hops, but not enough to balance this out. This is not a good example of the APA style at all. Somewhat drinkable, and cheap, but I won't be getting it again.
Aug 26, 2004
Photo of allengarvin
Reviewed by allengarvin from Texas

2.23/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2
Pours a quite clear golden amber with a small head that fades away. Malty aroma, no hop aroma detectable. Light body with malty sweetness predominate. Hop bitterness is very low, and hop taste not present at all. I'm glad I bought a single of this instead of a six-pack. A bland, uninteresting beer, that doesn't fit the flavor profile of Pale Ale at all.
Aug 19, 2004
Photo of elmocoso
Reviewed by elmocoso from Nebraska

2.09/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5
Doh! Cold Springs, MN! I should have looked for this mark of the devil before i laid down a 5 spot for this sixer, but hey, I'm Cheep and often look at prices first. oh well, i get to review it and give a few beers away. How's that for advocacy. "would you like a Hidden River?"

Anyway, It was a nice solid gold straw color when it came out. I couldn't get much head out of her, but what was there was white and thin. Better than, say, bud. Carb, quite active. Nose is corny and sweet, a little of hops.

Blech! Sweet, sweet, cloyingly sweet and simple. Sugary. Cant finish it. Maybe a new beer drinker might enjoy this, but man skip this one of you have a decent palate.
Jul 22, 2004
Photo of Zorro
Reviewed by Zorro from California

3.01/5  rDev +44%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Pours a super clear golden brew.

Smell is sweet and malty with a woody perfumed tea aroma from the hops.

Taste is sweet with a decent amount of malt and hops in it. This tastes like a great ale watered down, all the elements are there but the end result isn't what it could be. Flavor ends with a mild bitterness.

Mouthfeel is a bit thin.

Not a great brew, but it certainly beats drinking Budweiser. In sum it is leaning in the right direction but it ends up washed out in flavor as if too much water was added to the mix.
Apr 15, 2004
Photo of BeerBob
Reviewed by BeerBob from Nebraska

1.48/5  rDev -29.2%
look: 4 | smell: 1 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Hidden River Pale Ale poured a golden amber from a 12 oz dark brown bottle. head went to about two fingers and then slowly collapsed to a rocky ring with islands of foam working their way to the center of the glass. Nice lace patterns are adorning the sides as the fluid is drained from the glass as well.

Nose is sweet corn... strong sweet corn... much, much too strong.

Pallet is sweet corn... strong sweet corn... much, much too strong. This stuff tastes like one of those high gravity brews with most of the alcohol taken out, all of the bad taste, and none of the kick

The conspicuous absents of any hop signature is alarming, beer without hops? how can that be?

Unbalanced flavor of corn with no bitter of hops makes this one of the worst brews I have ever had the displeasure of drinking, Hidden River Pale Ale is a total mess.
Apr 07, 2004
Photo of fattyre
Reviewed by fattyre from Georgia

1.48/5  rDev -29.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1 | feel: 1 | overall: 1
First off I have to say that this is definitely the worst beer I have had to date.
I often find myself wandering through stores looking for something new. My eyes settled on a six crap of this "pale crap". I thought "what the hell", the packaging looks good (what was I thinking) and it was damned cheap. I was even wrong about the packaging. On second look it seems like an elk standing next to a radioactive waste site. Or perhaps that was the water they use. At any rate:
The "beer" pours a clear golden yellow with a bubbly creamy white head. Maybe I should have stopped here. The body is thin with a "soapy character" to it. The smell is slightly sweet and sort of spicy. The taste is a mild yet sickening sweetness with a lingering yet balancing sickly soapy bitterness. I couldn't even bring myself to pawn this stuff off on my macro-swilling friends - I usually pour the bad stuff on my plants but I feared for their lives. It is a good thing this stuff is cheap-otherwise I can't imagine how it would sell- and still I'm not quit sure why. Perhaps I'm not the only idiot out there buying beer out of curiosity.
Apr 11, 2003
Photo of Pegasus
Reviewed by Pegasus from Texas

2.43/5  rDev +16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2
Appearance: Light golden in color with a half-inch thick white head that exhibits good retention. The carbonation is quite abundant with lots of broken lace.

Aroma: Oily hops present themselves in the aroma, along with faint hints of fruity esters.

Taste: The taste begins with sweet malts, quickly followed by sour flavors and bitter hops that linger well past the tea-like notes of the finish. There is also, as another reviewer notes, a certain soapiness in the aftertaste - I need not relate how unappealing this is.

Mouth feel: The mouth feel is, at least, pleasant.

Drinkability/notes: There are a number of superb pale ales that are currently available - but this is not one of them.

Presentation: Packaged in a brown glass longneck bottle with a twist off crown, served in a standard pint tap glass.
Apr 01, 2003
Hidden River Pale Ale from Cold Spring Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 63 out of 100 with 22 ratings